Books and ME.

My Experience with The Language of Secrets

Hello everyone!! How many times have you picked up a book of the same author who has written another story in the same series you had liked? With me sometimes I had picked up the second, third and also all the books in the series of some authors. This shows the beauty of the creation of stories by the author.

This week, I would write about the second book in the 'Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty detective series.' 'The Language of Secrets' is the second book in the series and has been written by Ausmat Zehanat Khan. After the stupendous success of the first part of the series, 'The Unquiet Dead', this story also promises the same thrill just like its predecessor with the blend of history to it.

Chief of community policing, Esa Khattak is still answering the enquires regarding his last case when he comes across a fresh case. This case puts him in conflict as he knows the murder victim to him and the story involves jihadist cell. This case is tricky as he can't risk alerting the organisation while he along with Rachel try to blend in and solve the case.

Rachel takes a unique role as she turns undercover and visits the mosque where the leaders and the members of the terrorist organisation are a frequent visitor. The story reflects one of the main issues in our society- Islamophobia in the form of this narrative. The story has many characters and the arrow of suspicion was on many, but Esa and Rachel needed proof.

The story starts with Rachel overcoming her inner conflicts and starting a fresh life. Esa is still leading a complicated life. But this story shows a welcome change as they both unwind themselves. Not thinking much about their personal lives, they both indulge themselves in the case as it pulls them deeper with time.

A detective mystery thriller always starts with a murder and this book is also no exception. But this time the story gets entangled as a religious angle comes into the picture. The murder takes place in a camping site. There were many people in that camping site but according to everyone, no one saw the murder. That brings everyone into suspicion. But would Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty solve this case when it involves a tight-knit community who is not ready to let out any information? The rest of the book follows suit how they come out with relevant information about the murder and unravel the mystery at the end.

It is not your fast-paced John Grisham novel. The story takes its own time to build up. The characters are introduced and blended very artistically into the novel. There are layers to every character and in every turn, it would make you feel something big would be revealed but the author keeps on building the suspense till the end. The story rolls smoothly with slight or no glitches in the story (which can be avoided). The beauty of this novel is the way the story has been described. When you are reading a novel by Ausmat Khan, it would enhance your knowledge on many things while giving you the thrills of a perfect novel.

Why is the series so special? There have been many detective stories where two people partner up and solve the case. But what's unique in this story is the history behind every story. This book makes you look at the complicated political, social, and religious aspects of the war against terrorist organisations. The detective duo of Esa and Rachel are regular officers who are burdened with their flaws but still manage to solve the case.

The writer takes you deep into religious congregations and lets you see the different proceedings. There has been many books, movies and series on topics of terrorism, Islamophobia, but the way Ausmat Khan describes it in her book is quite relevant to what is happening in today's world. A PhD in International Human rights, Ausmat must have gone through many incidents where the human rights would have violated but her writings do not reflect her resistance towards it. She points out the evil doings in today's scenario through a detective series.

Ausmat Khan uses her knowledge to build both Muslim and non-Muslim characters in a well-defined manner. All the characters play across the thin line dividing the black and white personality. What makes the story more interesting is like the story advances, you are bumped up with many facts and information which makes your grey cells to start racing towards finding the killer. The backdrop of the murder is also well established. I would not give out any spoilers to it as this book deserves a reading.

Many talks about the book being more racist towards one community. But one should not judge the book from its cover. The book explains the various perceptions through the eyes of various people. When the story started, I had a different outlook towards the story, but I was quite surprised by the turn of events in the story. Even the visual descriptions of the mosque and the outdoor locations are so beautifully described that you can literally see the scenes running in front of your eyes.

At 329 pages, the book is certainly going to give you the chills and the enjoyment of a perfect thriller. The story is not fast-paced, but you cannot put it in the category of a slow-paced book. The book runs at a perfect pace bringing different angles to the story at the perfect time. The characters playing hide and seek with their personalities is one of the beauties of Ausmat Khan's writing. If you are looking for some out of the box detective series, this book series is worth reading. Every book comes with a new story with their star detectives who are entwined with their worldly problems.

The adventures of these two detectives continue in other books which are already in my pipeline. Once I am through with those books, I would share my experience with you all. Meanwhile, you are free to check out the books by yourself.

Until I upload my experience with another book, till then take care, be safe and keep on reading. Cheers.